Kathy Lette
An Australian writer whose razor-sharp wit and feminist novels turned suburban life into a riotous and provocative comedy.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Australian-British author·Birthday: November 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kathy Lette burst onto the scene not with a whisper but a cackle, co-writing 'Puberty Blues' as a teenager, a novel that peeled back the sun-bleached veneer of Australian surf culture with unflinching honesty. Moving to London, she honed a signature style: a torrent of puns, one-liners, and social satire aimed squarely at the absurdities of marriage, motherhood, and gender politics. Her novels, with titles like 'Foetal Attraction' and 'How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)', became international bestsellers, championing female friendship and intellect with a champagne-dry humor. Lette's voice, both in print and as a frequent media commentator, remains a gleeful, unapologetic challenge to convention.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kathy was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kathy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Kathy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-authored the seminal teen novel 'Puberty Blues' at age 19, which was adapted into a film and television series.
- Served as a newspaper columnist for publications including *The Guardian* and *The Sunday Times*.
- Was appointed as an Australian government ambassador for women and girls in 2017.
- Her novel 'Mad Cows' was adapted into a feature film starring Joanna Lumley and Anna Friel.
Did You Know?
She worked briefly as a trainee at the *Sydney Morning Herald* after leaving school at 16.
She is married to human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson.
She once worked as a singer on a cruise ship sailing from Sydney to London.
““The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his rib cage.””
